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Black Water Lilies

‘Ends with one of the most reverberating shocks in modern crime fiction’ Sunday TimesThis is the story of a mystery, of thirteen days that begin with one murder and end with another. Jérôme Morval, a man whose passion for art was matched only by his passion for women, has been found dead in the stream that runs through the gardens at Giverny, where Monet did his famous paintings. In Jérôme’s pocket is a postcard of Monet’s Water Lilies with the words: Eleven years old. Happy Birthday.

Entangled in the mystery are three women: a young painting prodigy, the seductive village schoolteacher and an old widow who watches over the village from a mill by the stream. All three of them share a secret. But what do they know about the discovery of Jérôme Morval’s corpse? And what is the connection to the mysterious Black Water Lilies, a rumoured masterpiece by Monet that has never been found…

‘This elegant crime mystery shimmers as delicately as the paintings of Claude Monet that lie at its heart . . . A bestseller in France, it is a dazzling, unexpected and haunting masterpiece’ Daily Mail‘An enchanting tale that kept me absolutely hooked as Bussi cleverly breaks all the perceived rules of plotting in a story containing riddles within riddles . . . stunning’ Daily Express

Reviews

Bussi's portrait of the difficulties of investigating a closed community is fascinating, and the novel ends with one of the most reverberating shocks in modern crime fiction.

SUNDAY TIMES

A richly satisfying story...a hugely enjoyable ride.

Irish Independent on AFTER THE CRASH

A bestseller in France, it is a dazzling, unexpected and haunting masterpiece

DAILY MAIL

A work of genius befitting the masterpiece by Monet at its heart . . . Simply stunning

DAILY EXPRESS

A novel so extraordinary that it reminded me of reading Steig Larsson for the very first time . . . Bussi breaks every rule in the book, but I doubt I'll read a more brilliant crime novel this year

Sunday Times on AFTER THE CRASH

enjoyment of this intelligent and absorbing book need not be confined to Monetists

THE TIMES

A work of genius befitting the masterpiece by Monet at its heart. The award-winning author weaves an enchanting tale that kept me absolutely hooked as Bussi cleverly breaks all the perceived rules of plotting in a story containing riddles within riddles. It works on multiple levels and left me completely baffled, yearning to work out how the different strands connect. But every loose thread is meshed neatly together in the final pages until the jaw-dropping big reveal at the end. The result is simply stunning